Ontario bill would ban youth from using tanning beds

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The governing Liberals in Ontario are expected to introduce legislation today to ban people under the age of 18 from using tanning beds.

Health Minister Deb Matthews will table a bill banning the sale of tanning services to minors to protect them from skin cancer. The World Health Organization puts tanning beds in the same cancer-risk category as tobacco and asbestos.

"We know that the dangers associated with exposure to artificial ultraviolet radiation at a young age are well-documented," Matthews said.

The ban would require customers to provide ID, and force owners to post signs about the health risks. Advertising and marketing of tanning services aimed at those under 18 would also be prohibited.

Salon owners who break the rules would face fines.

NDP health critic France Gelinas says she offered the Liberals the bill to move it through the legislature more quickly.

Gelinas says she's willing to work with anybody who will make sure that young people are protected, and Premier Kathleen Wynne says she's "keen" to work with Gelinas on the issue.

Gelinas, who started lobbying for a ban in 2008, also wants warning signs posted near tanning beds.

"Five years our health critic's been trying to get this passed," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said. "Finally, the Liberals have seen the light."

The Ontario Medical Association, which has been calling for a ban since 2010, welcomes the pending legislation, as does the Canadian Cancer Society.